Nov. 28 (UPI) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will stay in custody in the Netherlands after the International Criminal Court refused to release him on health grounds.
Duterte, 80, is facing charges of crimes against humanity for alleged extra-judicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users in the Philippines while he was president of the country and mayor of the city of Davao.
In March, Duterte was arrested in Manila on the ICC’s warrant in response to his war on drugs after the ICC launched a formal investigation in September 2021. He was denied a request for release in October. Friday’s decision was the appeal of that ruling.
Duterte’s lawyers were unable to show that the October decision by a lower chamber was unreasonable, Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza said to the courtroom in The Hague.
Last month, the court ruled that Duterte was a flight risk and that if released, he could use that freedom to intimidate witnesses, the South China Morning Post reported.
According to the court filings, Duterte instructed and authorized “violent acts including murder to be committed against alleged criminals, including alleged drug dealers and users.”
The number of people killed under Duterte’s regime is unclear. The national police say it’s about 6,000 but human rights groups say it is 30,000.
President Donald Trump, in his first term in office, became friendly with Duterte and even visited the Philippines.
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